Café Con Monica

Happy National Read a Book Day!

Did you know there was a National Read a Book day? I didn’t! But now I thought it would be a fun way to share my love of reading.

Since I was young…

I’ve loved to read for as far as I can remember. Seriously. I wasn’t a shy kid, I played sports, I loved social events but I am not sure that I was ever really happier than when I found or finished a book. I can remember biking to the library and checking out as many books as I could and reading books that were far beyond my age at the time. My mom still has no idea how she ended up with three bookish children when she is such a math whiz.

You don’t usually end up teaching literacy and reading for a living if you don’t enjoy it. I take that back…. I am sure there are plenty of people out there who do but that isn’t me and would never work for me. That is like my teaching math knowing how much I dislike it.

Did you know?

📚 Book readers were shown to have a 20% “reduction in risk of mortality” over 12 years, compared to non–book readers in a 2016 study.

📚In 2018, the Pew Research group released figures suggesting that 24% of American adults say they have not read a book — in part or whole, in print or electronically or audibly — in the past year.

But I don’t have time…

Now considering I am a part of the #bookstagram community and many of the bloggers I follow are big readers those facts both do and don’t surprise me. If you are a big reader, how often has someone said you… “I don’t have time to read” or “I don’t know how you find the time to read, I have so much else to do” <insert 1000 other things they have to do>

Finding joy in National Read a Book Day

I like to respond to those who don’t know how I find the time by saying it isn’t a chore, I don’t have to find time for it because I love reading. I’d rather read than do a lot of other things.

Although my usual spot is on the couch or in my reading nook, I will pretty much read anywhere.

How to Celebrate National Read a Book Day

Read a book. Really it’s that simple but also…

  • Recommend a book you love to a friend
  • Share what you are reading today on Social Media
  • Buy a book for a friend/family – Check out my reviews for ideas!
  • Read to a child today
  • Buy a book from a bookstore

To sum it up. Share your love of reading with everyone!

Are you reading today? Tell me how you are celebrating in the comments!

Happy National Read a Book Day!

Don’t forget to check out my new Instagram! Or you can follow me on Twitter,  Pinterest or Bloglovin

Currently August & Favorites!

I can’t believe it is the last week of August! I thought it would be a good time to do a Currently and my August Favorites post!

Reading || All the books!

Watching || I have finally started to catch up on Handmaids Tale. AJS & I binged the show In the Dark and we loved it. It definitely qualifies as an August Favorite!

Wearing || Back to work so back to wearing more than a swimsuit or summery dress. One of my faves for back to school clothes is this adorable dress I got at the Loft Outlet. It is light weight so its perfect for standing in carpool in the mornings and will look cute with tights & booties in the fall/winter.

Eating || I was doing my normal IG browsing the other night and I saw a a video for Avocado Carbonara pasta and it looked so delicious! We both enjoyed it so much I plan to add it to our go – to recipes. I used Ripple half & half in place of cream and Go Veggie Parmesan since I can’t have dairy.

Drinking || So much water. I found myself dehydrated a few times this summer. So I have been drinking a ton of water the last two weeks and adding drops, drinking Hints and so much sparkling water . I found a new flavor! Grape Waterloo Sparkling Water is my life now. It tastes like Grape soda without the sugar or calories.

Doing|| I have been cleaning up & replacing the last month. I did another hard push through my closet for anything that was left that I still didn’t wear this summer. I think it is a good idea for me to do this after every season. At this point Ive done a year cleanse so if I still haven’t worn it through another season it needs to go. I’ve replaced some clothes that either didn’t fit anymore or were starting to look shabby. I donated anything kinda new or gently worn to a local woman I met on IG who does pop ups with thrift clothes for her non-profit organization and the rest went to goodwill.

Indulging || In every little bit of time in the sun outside of work I can get. I know everyone is ready for fall and I get it, I love the season too but it is the hottest time of the year in Austin and I am absolutely loving it. I want to be outside as much as I can even if its just sitting on my patio drinking and laying in the hammock!

Anticipating || Another great school year! The start of my own school classes. Working on my goals for the next year and working on saving!

Loving || OOh I love the heat we all know that. But I am also loving a few things….

  • These Bamboo makeup remover pads. I hate using the throw away cotton ones because 1. they hurt and 2. I throw away so many.
  • This new Tarot set. After seeing Steph’s post I made a joke about how my set wasn’t vibing with me anymore and I realized its very true and so it finally prompted me to get a new set. Its going to take some time but so far I am making progress!
  • 40% at Old Navy. Gets me everytime. I got a couple new work dresses and I love loved the way this one looks!

Ok so to sum it all up. I’ve spent a lot of time in the outside and I’ve shopped! Haha what are you currently up to?

Don’t forget to check out my new Instagram! Or you can follow me on Twitter,  Pinterest or Bloglovin

The Radium Girls & Last Word Cocktail

The Girly Book Club choice for June was The Radium Girls by Kate Moore. I was happy that it was chosen because I had this book on my TBR for probably about a year now. After all the unhappiness with the May book choice the group was excited to delve into a new book.

The group itself generally praised the book. It is difficult to say you enjoyed a book that discusses major injustice against woman who lost their lives and/or suffered so much because of the place they chose to work. It is a long read though so we did have a few members who didn’t get to finish.

Personally, I found the book fascinating but I really enjoy morbid things. The blatant lies that were told by the people in charge of the companies and the disregard for the truth and these women by so many of the people involved was really heartbreaking. It continually came up in the meeting that had this happened to a group of men action would have been taken far more swiftly than it was because it was a group of young women.

I would give The Radium Girls ⭐⭐⭐⭐. The only gripe from the whole group was that it was excessively detailed. Normally this would be great but really it went into so much detail with each girl that at times it was easy to lose track. It was argued that the author likely put the detail in to help us really get a sense of the characters and perhaps, create sympathy for them but really if you don’t have sympathy for their suffering that is a whole different issue.

When I was thinking about what kind of cocktail I could pair with this book I figured something strong and because of the glowing effect of Radium, something green. Finding different recipes that create a green drink isn’t all that difficult, especially in the world of Pinterest. Ultimately, I like to work with what I have and try not to get into too many crazy ingredients so that people can make them at home without having to run out to the liquor store.

The Last Word

  • 1.5 oz Tequila
  • 1.5 oz Blue Curacao
  • 4 oz Orange Juice
  • Ice

  1. Begin by pouring the shots of Tequila and Curacao into a shaker with ice, shake!

  2. Pour the liquid & ice into a glass

  3. Pour Orange Juice into the glass and stir

  4. Take photo of your bright green dink and Enjoy!

I love to make cocktails and sit on my patio with a book so I am really enjoying figuring out pairings!

What do ya’ll think? Would you like to see more book reviews & pairings?

Don’t forget to check out my new Instagram! Or you can follow me on Twitter,  Pinterest or Bloglovin

FOLLOW

@cafeconmonica

[instagram-feed]